Eleventh International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts & Responses

Abstract

From the assessment of the resiliency of coastal infrastructure due to rising sea level to an understanding of the future impacts of forces of nature on our built environment, the importance of educating future generations of engineers with respect to coastal resiliency is becoming increasingly obvious. At the United States Coast Guard Academy (CGA), the engineering faculty recognize the need to educate the future of our Service and have developed a Coastal Resiliency Course that provides exposure into the science of climate change, its impact on civil engineering infrastructure and on the planning and design of resilient structures. This course provides preparation for the real world practice of engineering by exposing students to the importance of risk and vulnerability assessment within the context of changing climatic conditions. As a sea-going service, the majority of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)’s assets are along the coastline. As the USCG’s primary accession point for civil engineers, ensuring future engineers are exposed to the potential challenges that will likely occur due to rising sea level is an issue of readiness and therefore of the utmost importance. This paper will specifically address the manner in which CGA has incorporated climate science into engineering education and provides exposure to best practices used in civil engineering to promote infrastructure resiliency in a changing environment. The future demands that civil engineering graduates have an appreciation for the challenges that lie ahead and that they are exposed to current solutions or, at least, means of mitigation for these anticipated dilemmas.